Connector assembly

ABSTRACT

Connector assembly for use in joining electrical parts comprises a contact body adapted to house and support electrical contacts coupled to a frame which encloses a portion of the body. The housing and frame form a connector assembly which can be either a male portion or a female portion of a plug-in type connector. A locking clamp engages mating surfaces on the body and on the frame to hold the body and frame together. A shielding contact is trapped between the frame and the locking clamp.

nlted States Patent 1 1 1111 3,838,380

Stieler Sept. 24, 1974 CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY 3,329,925 7/l967 Johnson etal. 339 143 R 3,697,924 l0/l972 Oliver 339/l4 R [75] lnvemor- AlfFedShel", 3,723,948 3 1973 Wyatt et al. 339/14 R x He1lbr0nn/Neckar.Germany [73] Assignee: Bunker Ramo Corporation, Oak Primary E i j h H giBYOOk, Assistant Examiner-William F. Pate, III [22] Filed: Mal. 31, 1972Attorney, Agent, or Firm-D. R. Bair; F. M. Arbuckle [21] Appl. No.:239,955

[57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application P i ity D t Connector assemblyfor use in joining electrical parts Apr. 20 1971 Germany 2119060comprises a contact body adapted to house and support electricalcontacts coupled to a frame which en- [52] US CL 339/14 R 339/126339/206 R closes a portion of the body. The housing and frame [5 1] Int.Cl H01r 3/06 form a Connector assembly which can be either a male [58]Field of Search 334/176, 14 R, 143 R; P or a female Portion of a l typeconnec' 339/119 133 134 167 208 209 tor. A locking clamp engages matmgsurfaces on the body and on the frame to hold the body and frame to-[56] References Cited gether. A shielding contact is trapped between theUNITED STATES PATENTS frame and the locking clamp.

2,888,660 5/1959 Fox 339/14 R 8 Claims, 25 Drawing Figures CONNECTORASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to the field of electrical connectors. particularlyplug-in type connectors for joining together multiple contacts.

2. Description of the Prior Art In a known plug-in connector of thistype. the shielding contact is used both to establish electrical contactbetween mating connectors and to interlock pieces of a connector portiontogether. One of the pieces of a known connector portion forms a contacthousing while the other piece is in the form of a lid. The shieldingcontact is provided with clamps that extend across the lid of theconnector portion. The shielding contact is attached to the outside ofthe housing by means of locking members which snap into recesses in theouter surface of the housing.

The prior art configuration has several disadvantages. Since theshielding contact must fulfill two functions, namely, locking pieces ofthe connector portion together and establishing electrical contact. theprior art connector is rather complicated and expensive to produce.Production costs are high because the shielding contacts including thelock member must be made of metal in order to obtain the necessaryelectrical contact properties. Being of metal. the locking members arestiff making it difficult to remove the shielding contact. Oftentimes,the locking members must be destroyed when the contacts are removed andreplaced. Further. the pieces of the connector portions are no longerheld together once the shielding contact has been removed. since theshielding contact is also used to hold the connector pieces together.This is a particu lar disadvantage in applications. such as inlaboratory work. where it is occasionally necessary to remove theshielding contact in order to disconnect instruments that are connectedto the connector assembly from ground potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide animproved connector assembly of the plug-in type. which can bemanufactured at low cost.

It is another object ofthe invention to provide a connector assemblywhich can be easily disassembled.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a shielding contactin a connector that can be removed without totally disassembling theconnector portion or destroying the locking members.

The invention contemplates includes a connector as sembly having a bodyadapted to house and support electrical contacts therein. and a frameenclosing a portion of the body. A locking clamp engages mating surfaceson both the body and frame to hold these two parts of the connectorassembly together. A shielding contact is trapped between the connectorassembly and the locking clamp.

The locking clamps are made of plastic and are made separately from theshielding contacts. The shielding contacts are made of metal and areheld in recesses between the clamps and the corresponding outer surfacesof the connector assembly. Movement of the assembled shielding contactis prevented by mating abutting surfaces on the shielding contact and onthe connector assembly. The separate locking clamp can be produced atextremely low cost utilizing a plastic molding process. The shieldingcontact can also be produced for a low cost. because it has a verysimple form. Since the clamp and the shielding contact are made ofseparate pieces, the shielding contact can be easily removed from theconnector assembly. The plastic locking clamp is attached to the outsideof the frame and can be utilized to hold the body and the frame togethereven though the shielding contact is removed.

In a preferred embodiment. the locking clamps are provided with lockingshoulders which engage with mating shoulders provided on the outersurface of the frame. The resilient property of the plastic clampsprovides a convenient snap lock engagement of the locking clamps withthe frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings representingpreferred embodiments of the connector assembly according to the presentinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a contact body serving as an insertable memberof a connector assembly;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a connector assembly (a contact body in aframe) with an inserted locking clamp;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a mating connector assembly (a contact body ina frame) with an inserted locking clamp;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the contact body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the connector assembly of FIG. 2; I

FIG. 6 is a side view of the mating connector assembly of FIG. 3'.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the mating connector assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of the locking clamp;

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the clamp of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the locking clamp of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the locking clamp of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a partial front view of the connector assembly of FIG. 2 witha cutaway showing the inserted shielding contact;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the shielding contact of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the shielding contact of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the connector assembly of FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a partial front view of the mating connector assembly of FIG.3 with a cutaway showing the inserted shielding contact;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the shielding contact of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the shielding contact of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a side view of the mating connector assembly of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged front view of a locking clamp with an attachedcable clamp;

FIG. 21 is a side view of the locking clamp of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front view of another embodiment of a locking clamp with anattached cable clamp;

FIG. 23 is a side view of the locking clamp of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a partial cut of a connector assembly with the locking clampof FIGS. 22 and 23; and

FIG. 25 is a cross section of the engaging flanges of the shieldingcontact and of the frame (portion of FIG. 12).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 and 7 show body members5, 6, molded of suitable dielectric material and having contact chambers7 formed therein into which contacts (not shown) providing connectionsfrom a cable or from an instrument are introduced and mounted.

FIG. 2 shows a male (plug) connector assembly 1, constituted by assemblyof a body member in a frame .3. FIG. 3 shows a female (receptacle)connector assembly 2, constituted by assembly of a body member 6 in aframe 4, parts of frame 4 being adapted to receive mating portions offrame 3 of connector assembly I. Body members 5 and 6 may be identical,thus making possible substantial economies in the manufacture of themating set of connector assemblies 1 and 2.

FIGS. 8-11 show a locking clamp 8, 9 provided to lock the body members5, 6 into the frames 3, 4. The locking clamp is applied at the end of aconnector assembly, by sliding it on from the top, speaking of the partsas in the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The clamp has an opposed pairof ribs 20, which are a sliding flt in grooves 21 in the ends of theframes 3 and 4, seen where the clamp is broken away at the right end ofFIG. 7. The clamps have laterally extending latch ears 13, 14, withbeveled surfaces on the side facing the frames. Thus when the clamp ismoved downwardly, the beveled surfaces 15 ride up on the adjacentsurface 16 of the frame, deforming the clamp somewhat, and causing it topress against the frame. As the clamp reaches the limit of its movement,the latch ears spring under the shoulders 18 on the end of the frame,and the clamp is thus held in place.

In the female connector assembly (FIG. 3) a similar action takes place.As the locking clamp is moved into place, the ears l3, l4 ride up on thesurfaces 17, until they snap into place under the shoulders 19.

When the clamp is in locking position, a claw 10 at the top of the clampoverhangs the adjacent portion of the frame 3, and bears againstprotruding bosses 11 on the body 5 in the male connector, as seen in thebroken-away section at the right of FIG. 2, and dotted in FIG. 5. In thefemale connector 2, where the frame 4 is deeper, the claw 10 bearsagainst the boss 12 on the body 6, as shown dotted in FIG. 6. In eithercase, the clamp retains the body and the associated frame in assembledrelation.

With simple tools, such as a knife or screwdriver, it is easy to pry theears l3, 14 out from under the shoulders 18 and remove the clamp withoutdamage when disassembly is desired.

A recess is formed in the locking clamp, providing a space to receive apart of a ground or shield contact. For the male connector, a contactsuch as that shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is used. It is put in place,before the locking clamp is applied. by extending the elongated contactblade 26 through a hole 34 in the flange 36 of the frame. This extendsthe blade along one end of the body 5, as seen in FIGS. 12 and 15,brings the flange portions 28 of the contact, which extend perpendicularto the contact blade, into engagement with the flange 36 of the frame,and brings the lug 30 against the end of the frame 3. When the lockingclamp is applied, its leading edge holds the contact flange portions 28and the frame flange together, and the walls of recess 25 in the clampconfine the lug 30. A notch 49 in the clamp provides access to aterminal screw 32, 33 in the lug 30 for attachment of a conductor from acable shield or other ground connection. A notch 24 allows clearance forthat part of a screw which extends through the lug 30.

In the female connector, a contact as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 may beused. Its contact blade 27 extends through a hole 35 into the cavity offrame 4 as seen in FIG. 16, in a position complementary to that of theblade 26 on body 5 as seen in FIG. 12. Thus when the connectorassemblies 1 and 2 are mated, blade 27 slides along blade 26, in contacttherewith.

A connector assembly 1 to be used in an instrument is fastened to theside of the instrument through an opening in the instrument, with theflanges in contact with the metal case of the instrument adjacent theopening. The plug connector is attached to the instrument by means ofscrews which run through aligned openings 44 (FIG. 25) in the flanges 28of the shielding contact and the flanges 36 of the frame. In order tohave the shielding contact permanently engage the instrument, theshielding contact has a cylindrical portion (or nozzle) 45 extendingthrough the opening 44 in flanges 36, 37 and protruding through opening44. When the mounting screw is tightened, the protruding portion of thenozzle 45 is brought to bear against the case of the instrument. Thus,the pressure with which the shielding contact bears against theinstrument is independent of possible shrinkage of the plastic flanges36, and is maintained even when the plastic flange has been partially orcompletely broken away from the side of the instrument.

FIGS. 20 to 24 show additional embodiments of locking clamps to which acable clamp has been attached. These locking clamps are used toadvantage at the cable side of the connector assembly 1 in order toreduce the mechanical load exerted upon the cable connections. Thelocking clamps 40, 41 are formed with extensions providing semicircularcarriers 38, 39. An arched, semicircular clamp 47 can be attached to thecarrier by means of two screws 48 to provide a cable grip.

The locking clamp 40 in FIG. 20 has a form similar to that of thepreviously described locking clamps 8, 9. In contrast to these clamps,the locking clamp 41 in FIG. 22 is not provided with recessed guidingsurfaces. The same is true for the corresponding frame portion. In placeof the guiding members, there is provided an extension 42 which, asshown in FIG. 24, engages a recess 43 in the frame. This configurationprevents the locking clamp from being detached and from moving when thelocking clamp is in the snapped-on position.

From the foregoing, it can be readily realized that this invention canassume various embodiments. Thus, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein,but is to be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector assembly including a dielectric body adaptedto house and support electrical contacts, a frame adapted to receivesaid body, said frame having flanges for mounting said assembly on asupporting surface, a locking clamp having ribs slidably engageable withgrooves in said frame, and having ears releasably engageable in latchingrelation with shoulders on said frame, body retainer means on saidclamp, engaging said body and preventing removal thereof from said framewhen said clamp is retained on said frame-by engagement of said earswith said shoulders, and a shielding contact retained by enclosure of aportion thereof in a recess in said locking clamp, being releasabletherefrom when said clamp is removed.

2. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said locking clamp has beveled surfaces on said ears facingmating surfaces in said frame adjacent to said shoulders.

3. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retainermeans on said locking clamp comprises a claw extending from one end ofsaid locking clamp over a portion of said frame and into engagement withat least one boss on said boding.

4. The connector assembly as claimed in claim l,

wherein said locking clamp has an extension on the end opposite saidclaw, and said frame has a flange extending perpendicularly to an outersurface of said frame, said flange having an engaging recess forengaging said extension therein.

5. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grooves insaid frame and said ribs on said locking clamp guide said locking clampinto proper engaging position with said frame.

6. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1 including a cable clampcoupled to said locking clamp.

UNITED STA'I I'LS PAT ENT OFFICE 8 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION L PATENTN0. 3,838,380 4 DATED 1 September 24, 1974 -|NVENTOR(S) I Alfred OttoHugo Stieler- It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said LettersPatent p are hereby corrected as shownbelow;

In the ABSTRACT, line 4, change "housing" to -body-.

Column 4, line 24, after "flanges" insert 36-;

Engncd and Scaled thus ninth Day of March 1976 [SEAL] Q AUGSI.

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner oj'Parents and Trademarks O

1. An electrical connector assembly including a dielectric body adaptedto house and support electrical contacts, a frame adapted to receivesaid body, said frame having flanges for mounting said assembly on asupporting surface, a locking clamp having ribs slidably engageable withgrooves in said frame, and having ears releasably engageable in latchingrelation with shoulders on said frame, body retainer means on saidclamp, engaging said body and preventing removal thereof from said framewhen said clamp is retained on said frame by engagement of said earswith said shoulders, and a shielding contact retained by enclosure of aportion thereof in a recess in said locking clamp, being releasabletherefrom when said clamp is removed.
 2. The connector assembly asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said locking clamp has beveled surfaces onsaid ears facing mating surfaces in said frame adjacent to saidshoulders.
 3. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidretainer means on said locking clamp comprises a claw extending from oneend of said locking clamp over a portion of said frame and intoengagement with at least one boss on said boding.
 4. The connectorassembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking clamp has anextension on the end opposite said claw, and said frame has a flangeextending perpendicularly to an outer surface of said frame, said flangehaving an engaging recess for engaging said extension therein.
 5. Theconnector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grooves in saidframe and said ribs on said locking clamp guide said locking clamp intoproper engaging position with said frame.
 6. The connector assembly asclaimed in claim 1 including a cable clamp coupled to said lockingclamp.
 7. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein aportion of said cable clamp is an integral part of said locking clamp.8. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said frame hasa flange extending perpendicularly to an outer surface of said frame;and said shielding contact has a mating flange in engagement with saidframe flange, both said flanges being provided with aligned openings,said shielding contact having an integral cylindrically shaped portionextending through said opening in said Flange.